Helping Scoliosis patients in Kolkata

Earlier this year Mr Girish Swamy, Consultant Orthopaedic Spinal Surgeon, put together a team of specialists to operate on patients with severe scoliosis and to teach theatre staff, physiotherapists and ITU nurses about the management of scoliosis patients at a charity hospital in Kolkata, India.

The team included Jackie Critchley, Spinal Specialist Physiotherapist and Cherry Cubelo, Co-ordinator and Spinal Injuries Specialist at NNUH and Judjie Pormilda, Spinal Theatre Lead at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital. They were also joined by Dr Naveen Murali, Lead Paediatric Anaesthetist at the Children’s Hospital in Birmingham.

All the patients were charity cases who, without the interventions, would not have had access to these complex surgeries. Throughout the week, the team delivered lectures and hands-on training to medical students, nursing students and physiotherapists from across West Bengal.

Jackie said: “All the staff, patients and students were very grateful for our help and were incredibly keen to learn. The experience made me realise how lucky I am to have had my training in the UK. It was a pleasure to share our expertise, and this charity trip has enriched our own experience too.”